The New York Times reports on how TED, an organization that runs a yearly event for business, technology & non-profit folks, has recently found the compelling benefits of posting videos from their conferences:
- More advertising revenue.
- Exposure to millions who would otherwise never attend the event.
“In so doing, TED is at the vanguard of a trend in the conference industry, where organizers have begun to exploit assets that in years past evaporated as soon as speakers left the stage.”
While it cost several hundred thousand for them to create such videos, I am not certain how they quantify the opportunty created by posting them.
The article goes on to review the online efforts of others, including Reed Exhibitions. One thing is clear: expansion for conferences, in terms of revenue and exposure, will certainly have a promintent online component.
Techdirt notes:
“…giving the non-scarce stuff (the presentations) away helps increase the value of the scarce stuff (tickets to attend) just like economics says it should.”